It's a music mystery, and our help is needed to solve it!
On her blog, Pop Music As Pornography, Shelley (Music Director and 'Shuffle Function' DJ at Minnesota State University, Mankato's KMSU FM) relates a tale about scoring a big batch of old LPs that has a familiar ring as the sort of 'fishing' story that record collector nerds all have told at one time or another.
In 'We Need Your Help With This Mystery Track, Music Geeks' she writes about one mysterious unmarked album among the others...
"In one of the crates I found a test pressing album hand dated for '4-22-74'.
"The record was recorded for the Keysor-Century Corporation, and has a number assigned to it: - 42415.
"That is the only form of identification that I can find, all though there are numbers etched into the record itself.
"I share all of this information with you because I am desperate to find out who the band is on the record."
Shelley has included a 'movie clip' of one catchy, untitled track off of the mystery test pressing, and talks of her fruitless search to identify the unnamed band.
Giving it a listen, I agree with some of her assessment; The band sounds very familiar, and to my ear the mid-'70's sound seems very West Coast.
It made me think of a slightly less latin El Chicano or Malo, a less brass, more organ-based
Tower of Power perhaps, and the lead vocal reminds me of the Steve Miller Band before they hit the arena rock years.
It also sounds exactly like the sort of thing that once solved, we'll all say, 'Oh, of course! How obvious, why couldn't I figure that out?'
- - But for now, who knows? Not me, but what about you?
Click over, take a listen.
No record collector geek should have to suffer through such a thing alone...
- - ▼ and here's the lyrics ▼ to the mystery song, ring any bells for you??
Can you climb a mountain
When you want?
Can you tell a story
When you want?
Are you free?
Are you free?
Free to do what you want when you want,
Are you free to say 'no' when you choose?
Do you shuck and jive
All the time
On a steady high (getting high)
All the time
Are you free? Tell me now,
Are you free?
Free to do what you want when you want,
Are you free to say 'no' when you choose?
Do you shuck and jive
All the time
On a steady high (getting high)
All the time
Are you free? Tell me now - -
Are you free?
Free to do what you want when you want,
Are you free to say 'no' when you choose?
Free to do what you want when you want,
Are you free to say 'no' when you choose?
Free to do what you want when you want,
Are you free to say 'no' when you choose?
UPDATE, 8.24.09: Thanks to a commenter who cracked the mystery!
It spurred me to check in at the Shuffle Function blog to verify that they too had tumbled to the identity of the mystery band.
- Follow this link to their 7.05.09 post, 'Case Closed' and read the story and a bit about the band Haze from Minneapolis, and their eponymous 1974 LP!
It's a music mystery, and our help is needed to solve it! 
"In one of the crates I found a test pressing album hand dated for '4-22-74'. 
